WELCOME!

Hi there! Thanks for stopping by.

I write fantasy for tweens and teens. I blog about books and writing and occasionally travel and homeschooling.

My world of Aluvia series is with Curiosity Quills Press, and is an upper-middle grade fantasy, well-suited for ages 11-14, though all ages can enjoy it. FAIRY KEEPER, MER-CHARMER and DRAGON REDEEMER each stand-alone but are best read as a series. My fourth book will be releasing with Blaze Publishing this summer, called THE WORST VILLAIN EVER.

This is a family-friendly site. Note: There are some spoilers in a few of my book reviews, primarily the ones done for my grad school classes. I do warn readers with a big, "SPOILER!" announcement on the review.

Welcome! I'd love to hear from you, so feel free to leave a comment!

Monday, July 8, 2013

Nonfiction: BALLOONS OVER BROADWAY: THE TRUE STORY OF THE PUPPETEER OF MACY'S PARADE, by Melissa Sweet

1.BIBLIOGRAPHY

Sweet, Melissa.2011. Balloons
Over Broadway:The True Story of the
Puppeteer of Macy’s Parade. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Books for
Children.

ISBN 978-0-547-19945-0

2.PLOT SUMMARY

In this picture book, Melissa Sweet tells the
story of Anthony “Tony” Frederick Sarg, who was the mind and talent behind the
famous Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.Through illustrations and text, Sweet describes Sarg’s childhood and
fascination with puppets.Through simple
explanations, readers also learn how that puppetry knowledge was transformed
into the idea of floating puppets with the controls coming down to the handlers
on the ground.

3.CRITICAL
ANALYSIS

Balloons Over Broadway won the 2012 Robert F. Sibert Medal and the 2012 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award. This
award-winning picture book is many things:a
biography, yes, but also a history lesson, an artistic explanation and an
inspiration based on Tony Sarg’s life (1880-1942.)Melissa Sweet makes her
information entertaining through her art and her lively writing style.People will not even realize they are learning
new information.Dr. Vardell describes
biographies as “literary people watching,” (243) and that is much of what this
book is like.We get to watch the genius
of Tony Sarg unfold throughout his life, starting with a creation to help him
stay in bed later as a child, culminating in his greatest achievement, the
Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.

The art
steals the show in this puppet-pageant historical tale. With mixed-media
collage illustrations, bold typefaces and fonts, and watercolor cartoons with
amazing detail, the cheerful, colorful art critically supports text that both
tells the personal story of Tony Sarg, and also explains the technical
mechanics behind the giant balloons that have bounced down Broadway for years.Statements such as, “It was a parade New
Yorkers would never forget!” are written in collage-style typography beneath
cartoon illustrations and regular text explaining the path the balloons took to
finish the parade. The words look bold and exciting, like the parade.

It is clear that the design was carefully thought-out, as every
page is used to its fullest.The image of
the first big balloon that floated like he wanted is turned vertically, using the design of the page to convey the scope of the balloons that he
created. Even the end pages are used to provide background information about
Tony Sarg and marionettes with clever collage, photography, and an
illustration of a marionette.The early
pages have a photograph of Tony Sarg across from a large, multi-fonted black and
white quote of his saying, “Every little movement has a meaning of its own.”A direct quote gives readers trust that the author has done her research. On the end pages, there is even an original advertisement about
the 1933 parade inThe New York Times.Literally not one inch was wasted in this
book.In the photo of the newspaper, it
shows a few of the balloons—and it looks like the elephant balloon from the book’s
vertical page is in the shot.

The
actual story of Tony Sarg as a child and puppeteer is told in rough panels
similar to a comic book, organized chronologically, making the text easy and fun to find and read.Dr. Vardell says a nonfiction book should,
“encourage appropriate vocabulary and not talk down to the reader” (255).Sweet achieves this and freely and comfortably uses technical terms
such as, “Tony wanted his balloons to articulate—to
move and gesture—more like puppets.But
how?”

The
dramatic moment of his big realization is shown with appropriately dramatic
black and white collage-style font: “But what if the controls were below and the puppet
could rise up?” completed with a silhouette of Tony holding an elephant balloon—one we’ll
see later, floating in the parade.

Sweet
provides an Author’s Note in the back matter that provides more information
about Tony Sarg, such as a quote by his daughter saying,“Quite simply, Tony Sarg just never grew up.”
Sweet also gives a description of how she created her own art for the book.

As with any
nonfiction book, “Accuracy is number one,” (253, Vardell.)Despite the charming art and text, this
book would lose its value if it were not accurate.In this regard, readers can take comfort from
the Thank You page, in which Sweet lists those to whom she spoke about Tony
Sarg.Museums of puppetry and balloon
designers are trustworthy sources for this topic, as are the 18 sources in her
Bibliography and Sources, not including her Quote sources.Those are listed separately, with the photos
courtesy of the Nantucket Historical Association.

4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)

“Sweet tells this slice of American history well, conveying
both Sarg's enthusiasm and joy in his work as well as the drama and excitement
of the parade. Rich in detail, the gouache, collage, and mixed-media
illustrations are a stand-out, capturing the charm of the period and the
awe-inspiring balloons. This one should float off the shelves.”School
Library Journal, Sept 1, 2011

"Tony Sarg (1880-1942, "rhymes with aargh!"), the man who
invented the giant balloons of the Macys Thanksgiving Day Parade, has found a
worthy biographer in Caldecott Honoree Sweet (A River of Words).” Publishers
Weekly, starred review August 2011

“Through careful explanation and fantastic art, Sweet
explains step-by-step how the balloons were shaped and evolved. The pictures, a
mix of collage and watercolors, are as exciting as the parade itself and are
presented in an innovative design that uses an array of typefaces,
reproductions of old newspaper articles, silhouettes, and the occasional comic-strip
format. Grades K-2”Booklist Sept 15,
2011.

“Melissa Sweet's captivating picture book showcases Sarg's
lively mind and creative and mechanical processes. Sweet uses a variety of
illustration styles in the delightful, multilayered collage art that includes
schematics and plans, photographs of toys she constructed to reflect Sarg's own
creations, scenes from Sarg's life, and of course images of the parade balloons
bobbing through the streets of New York. Ages 6-10.”—CCBC (Cooperative Book
Center Choices, 2012).

Do an illustrator study by comparing this book with Sweet's other book, A River of Words, which was a Caldecott Honor book.

6.PERSONAL REACTIONS

I found this book delightful. I loved all the small details throughout and I always enjoy learning about a new topic. It is not a book I will want to keep and reread, but it was a fun book to read and I felt Ms. Sweet certainly earned her awards.